In the midst of a minor Safe Browsing controversy, Google Chrome 17 has landed on the stable channel. One of the big additions in the new release is the beefed-up malware blocking system that surfaced in the Beta channel a few weeks ago.

When you initiate a download in Chrome, Google checks the files against its Safe Browsing blacklist. The list is constantly updated as Google indexes the web, keeping a watchful eye on sites that are pumping out malicious downloads. That’s a good starting point, but it only works with files and sites that have been previously identified.

With Chrome 17, there’s now an added layer of protection. Executable files are run through additional reputation checks, and Google then tries to determine the trustworthiness of the file by looking at the relevant Safe Browsing data for the site and publisher it’s being downloaded from. If everything looks good, Chrome will ask if you want to keep or discard the file just as it always has. If it looks a little shady, you’ll see this in the download bard instead:

Also making the jump from Beta to stable is an improvement to Chrome’s Omnibox. In version 17, URLs that Chrome suggests as you type will automatically begin pre-loading in the background. That way they load in a flash when you click or finish typing and press enter. Google hasn’t actually done anything to speed up the actual page load times, mind you, they’re simply doing it behind the scenes before you ask Chrome to display anything.

To install the new version, you can click the wrench menu and then click About Chrome, or you can simply browse as you usually do and Chrome 17 will arrive on its own thanks to its auto-update system.